THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23221, 19 June 1937, Page 2

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

RELIGIOUS READING FOR THE HOME “THOU WOULDST HAVE WATCHED . . .” Thou wouldsl have followed Me, shared my Gothsemane?— Ah. Soul, take heed: Are there no lonely ones whose need of thee Is still My need? Thou wouldst have watched through to be poor And humble? Wait, — My path still leads from thine own door Narrow and strait. Thou wouldst. . . .? But ah, today is thine To keep My Tryst; Who giveth to the least of Mine Giveth to Christ. -Ethel Talbot. PRAYER Our times are in Thy Hand, O Lord. We know the love that God hath for us, and we confide in it. Only do Thou sustain in us, we beseech Thee, an attentive heart to hear Thy Voice day by day, and a mind free from prejudice that we may apply ourselves to life as it meets us, under the stimulus of Thy control. Thou, O Lord, arc abroad in the world, moving in the midst of events which we. with motives on which Thou alone canst pass judgment, approving or disapproving, have let loose. Help us to keep our hearts and minds so attuned to Thee that we may bo ready to take whatever action may promote that Kingdom of Thine in this world which is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Amen.

FOR EACH DAY’S MEDITATION THUS SAITH THE LORD Sunday.—“ My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. Thou hast found grace in My sight, I know thee by name.”—Exodus xxxiii, 14 and 17.

“ Thou will show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy.”— Psalm xvi, 11. Monday.—“ He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He shall cover thee with His leathers, and under His wings shalt Uiou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler,”—Psalm xci, 1 and 4. Tuesday.—“ Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you. Therefore let no man glory in men for all things are yours. And ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” —1 Corinthians iii, 16. 21, and 23.

Wednesday.—“ He giveth more grace. Wherefore He sailh, God resisteth the proud t but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit, therefore, yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.”—James iv, 0,7, and 8.

Thursday.—“ Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and for ever. Amen.” —2 Peter iii, 18. “This is the promise that He hath Eiised us, even eternal life.”—l ii, 25. Friday.—“ No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another. God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. Thereby we know that we dwell in Him and He in us because He hath given us of His Spirit.” —1 John, iv, 12 and 13. Saturday.—“ Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him. and he in God. God is Love: and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1 John iv, 15 and 16. —H. R. Higgens in A.C.W COMING BACK TO CHRIST " Out Among the People ” is a column in an Australian daily. In it “Vox” gathers up scraps of conversation and items of personal news and happenings so dear to the average man and woman. The other day the first paragraph opened thus: In the city yesterday we were discussing the unrest in the world and the visible silver lining to the proverbial cloud.

I referred to the pronounced popularity of books dealing with biblical history, and one level-headed friend said. “ I think the prodigal nations will come back to Christianity. It is the only thing that has stood the lest of time.”

CAROLS IN A PRISON Three years ago the experiment of relaying a carol service from the Church of St. Matthew, Oxford, to the prison chapel, a mile away, was made. It was the first time that anything of the kind had been tried. Each year since then the experiment has been repeated, with the permission of the Home Office. This time it took place on the Sunday evening before Christmas. The service took the form of nine carols and nine lessons, tracing the promise of the Messiah up to the time of the birth of Christ. There were also four carols and hymns for the congregation. The service was conducted by the vicar, the Rc-v. D. K. Stather Hunt, who is chaplain to the prison. SENTENCE ILLUSTRATIONS “ Barbarism is always as close to the most refined civilisation as rust is to the most highly-polished steel.” —Rivarol. “It holds true of philosophies as of human beings that the feeble-minded are fast breeders.”—L. P. Jacks. “Life ain’t all yer want, but it’s all yer ’ave. So ’ave it. Stick a geranium in yer ’at an’ be ’appy.”—East End saying. IS GOD UNNECESSARY? Canon Peter Green, in a Lenten address, spoke on the need of a great return to God. declaring that the world was suffering at present from deepseated Godlessness. A great school of modern thought, calling themselves humanists, had stated that whilst- religion was necessary and it was not possible to get along without it, God was unnecessary, and we should worship Divine humanity, believed that in consequence the world would soon become a paradise. He was afraid it would not work if man was wholly concentrated on, man being the reflective image of God What the world was really in need of. he declared, was a great return to God. Who was much left out of people’s thoughts to-day. The first step to be taken was to regain a deen sense of penitence, and no return to God was possible except as a return of one who asks forgiveness. Without God. man was the most use- I less of things, but with Him there was nothing man was not capable of.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCHES “Is the Universe, including Man, Evolved by Atomic Force?" is The subject of the lesson-sermon in ah Churches of Christ. Scientist, tomorrow. The Golden Text is: “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.” < Deuteronomy x. 14.) Among the citations which comprise the lesson-sermon are the following from the Bible; “The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” (Psalms xix. 1.) The lesson-sermon also contains the following pass’age from the Christian Science text book, “ Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." by Mary Baker Eddy: “The divine Principle of the universe must interpret the universe God is the divine Principle of all that represents Him and of all that really exists.”